Thanks to ever stringent emission standards, automakers are now moving towards new technologies, most prominent is Hybrid powertrains. The combination of small engines and electric motors ensures low CO2 emissions, better fuel economy and more than enough power. Richie Honein drives Volkswagen’s Touareg Hybrid to see what it feels like. Continue reading if you would like to know more about the SUV.
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With its low combined fuel consumption of 8.2 l/100 km, the all-wheel drive Touareg Hybrid sets new standards among genuine SUVs with petrol engines. CO2 emissions are equally low: 193 g/km. The Hybrid drive, the new top engine choice, combines the power of a classic eight-cylinder engine with the fuel economy of a six or four-cylinder engine. Therefore, it is replacing the previous V8 petrol engines in Europe and America, continuing the successful Volkswagen strategy of downsizing. Naturally, the Touareg Hybrid fulfils requirements of the Euro-5 emissions standard in Europe and ULEV2 in the USA. The SUV reaches a top speed of 240 km/h and accelerates to 100 km/h in just 6.5 seconds.
The drive unit of the Touareg Hybrid primarily consists of a supercharged V6 TSI (direct-injection petrol engine with 245 kW / 333 HP), an 8-speed automatic transmission customised for hybrid, towing vehicle and off-road use, including torque converter, final drive units and centre differential, as well as the Hybrid Module integrated between the internal combustion engine and automatic transmission. This module – the “heart of the hybrid” – contains an E-motor (34.3 kW / 46 HP) and a disengagement clutch. The Hybrid Module has a diameter of 400 millimeters, is only 145 millimeters long and weighs just 55 kilograms.
When the V6 TSI and E-motor work simultaneously at full power (boosting), a system power output of up to 279 kW / 380 HP and maximum torque of 580 Newton-meters are delivered.
The drive energy for the E-motor is stored in a Nickel Metal-Hydride (Ni-MH) battery at the rear of the Touareg, stated more precisely in the spare wheel recess. With its nominal voltage of 288 Volt, the battery has an energy capacity of 1.7 kilowatt-hours (kWh) and a peak output power of 38 kW. The energy stored in the battery is sufficient to drive the Touareg over a distance of about two kilometers and up to a speed of 50 km/h in pure electric mode. The interplay of the individual system components is “co-ordinated” by a Hybrid Manager.
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